CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 401: PHOENIX TREE

During breakfast, Hazel Yates was rambling on about Norman Sutton, telling him not to spend all day sleeping and playing games, eventually bringing up the girl from the flower field.

Norman Sutton responded impatiently a couple of times, not wanting to listen to Hazel Yates’s nagging, and took his meat roll and milk upstairs.

Audrey Sutton tattled to Hazel Yates, sharing some information she knew about the girl, to which Hazel Yates disdainfully replied, "She obviously won’t care for Six."

They chatted and finished breakfast while Audrey Sutton stood by the window and helped Hazel Yates wash the dishes.

The window was open, revealing the phoenix tree in the yard. The breeze was gentle and warm, rustling the fallen leaves.

"Mom, does this phoenix tree in the yard have any special meaning?"

Hazel Yates glanced up, smiled, and said, "Your dad planted it for me, transplanted from the old house."

"Why plant a phoenix tree and not something else?"

Hazel Yates’s smile was mixed with happiness and a bit of shyness: "Your dad said there’s a legend, the phoenix being male, and the parasol tree female, growing old, living, and dying together, symbolizing eternal love."

Audrey Sutton pondered, recalling how she complained about the simplicity of the necklace design when she received it, remembering he said, "Sometimes the simplest things are actually the most special."

Now, she finally understood the uniqueness of that necklace.

On her birthday, before they fought, he gave her this gift, showing he truly loved her then, right?

Not long after her birthday, they had their cold war, and feelings can’t change that quickly.

Besides, the days leading to the cold war were fine, no peculiarities, and knowing that necklace’s meaning now makes his sudden change of attitude seem bizarre.

He must have encountered something in those days, altering his attitude towards her.

Now it seems everything might have been destiny’s play; if she realized this sooner, she wouldn’t have fought with him and the child might not have left...

Audrey Sutton finished tidying the kitchen with Hazel Yates, went to her room, and took out the ring and necklace she had set aside previously, examining them closely.

She noticed something peculiar about the necklace’s pendant — a tiny seam along the edge, reminiscent of old pocket watch designs.

Audrey Sutton tentatively pried at the leaf and found it indeed opened, splitting in two, with "Audrey" and "I love you" inscribed on each side.

Seeing this moved Audrey Sutton, her eyes warm and her nose tingling.

She always complained he never said he loved her, questioning his true feelings, with him jokingly avoiding the topic every time.

She should have known; his personality isn’t one to bluntly express "love."

What happened during those days? He must have been feeling awful, too?

Audrey Sutton suddenly wanted to see him, impulsively grabbing her phone to call him.

She found his number but hesitated.

"Ding dong—"

Coincidentally, he messaged: "Awake? Can you come out to play today?"

Audrey Sutton’s frown softened, a smile curved on her lips, and she replied with a single word: "Hmm."

Y: Did you have breakfast yet? Should I come over and pick you up?

Audrey Sutton tossed aside her impulsive urge to see him, responding calmly, asking: "Where to in this heat?"

Y: A date.

Audrey Sutton: Did you ask if I agree to go on a date with you?

Y: Miss Sutton, do you consent to go on a date with me?

Audrey Sutton chuckled at her phone screen, and before she could answer, he sent another message: "Come to the rooftop."

Slightly confused, Audrey Sutton frowned and headed for the rooftop.

Wondering if he could be hiding on her roof?

Now past ten, the sun was high, with no cover on the rooftop, causing Audrey Sutton to squint, shielding her eyes with a hand and looking around, finding nothing unusual.

She stood by the edge of the wall, glancing toward nearby guesthouses.

"Ding dong—"

Y: Turn around.

Audrey Sutton obediently turned, seeing Shane Warner standing under the balcony gazebo of the opposite house.

The two houses weren’t far, seemingly only about five or six meters apart.

Audrey Sutton walked to the edge of the wall on that side, asking him, "How come you’re staying over there again?"

Shane Warner: "The bed here is more comfortable, the room soundproofs better; the only downside is not being able to see your room."

Audrey Sutton pouted, glaring at him, saying, "I want to go shopping. Buy clothes."

He indulgently smiled and nodded, "Come down."

Audrey Sutton: "I’ll change clothes, put on makeup, and text you when I’m ready."

Saying this, she turned and rushed downstairs, back to her room, picking out a pretty dress, applying makeup, styling her hair, swiftly yet still spending over half an hour.

Upon descending, she heard Shane Warner and Hazel Yates’s chatting voices from downstairs.

Originally in a rush, her steps slowed, moving leisurely down.

Seeing Shane Warner and Hazel Yates sitting on the living room sofa chatting.

Hazel Yates saw Audrey Sutton come down and said, "Hurry up, Shane has been waiting for you for ages."

Audrey Sutton pouted, "So what if he waits? It’s been less than an hour, can’t he be a little patient?"

Shane Warner simply smiled, rising from the sofa, courteously and kindly bidding Hazel Yates farewell, "Mom, we’ll head out now."

Hazel Yates happily replied, "Alright, take it slow on the road. Shane, keep an eye on Audrey, don’t let her eat junk outside."

"Got it, Mom."

Shane Warner called her "Mom" in every sentence, charming everyone. No wonder Hazel Yates always stood up for him.

Audrey Sutton went directly to the door to change her shoes, avoiding Shane Warner’s attempt to hold her hand, leading with a white parasol outside.

After bidding Hazel Yates goodbye again, Shane Warner followed Audrey Sutton out the door.

Outside, the leaves rustled; Audrey Sutton reached the car, while he unlocked it from a distance with the car keys. She folded her umbrella, and Shane Warner walked over to open the passenger door for her, serving her like a princess.

Sitting in the car, Audrey Sutton inputted their destination into the phone’s GPS, and as Shane Warner got in, she placed the phone on the dashboard mount: "Turn on the AC."

Shane Warner glanced at the phone she set down, gesturing toward the safety belt with his chin, reminding her to buckle up, then asked, "Can you handle it?"

Audrey Sutton looked at him, saying, "Do you think I can go out if I can’t handle it? You want me to roast in this heat without the AC?"

While turning on the AC, Shane Warner casually replied, "Seems this month hasn’t just added some weight, but also a bit of temper."